Issue Position: Metal Theft

Issue Position

he theft of metal in Oregon has reached epidemic proportions over the past few years. Fueled by individuals with substance abuse problems (mostly methamphetamine) throughout the state, all types of metal -from copper wire and guard rails, to a statue of Sacagawea and an urn with ashes still inside- has been stolen and sold for scrap. This comprehensive law creates new requirements to make selling stolen metal more difficult, and creates penalties for those who either attempt to buy or sell metal known to be stolen. One of my own bills (HB 2423) prohibited cash payment for metal, and called for tougher penalties when public safety is threatened by a theft, or when the cost to repair the damage caused by a theft is disproportionate to the value of the metal stolen. The concepts in my bill were incorporated into the final version SB 570.

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